CATIA for Engineers enables Digital Prototyping including Analysis and Simulation for design and validation of function quality and performance at all stages ofthe design.

Mechanical engineering is complex as assemblies are designed to perform a specific task with a specific target performance. Digital prototyping, combined with digital analysis and simulation, allows product development teams to virtually create and analyze a mechanical product in its environment. Mechanical engineers must be equipped with these tools so that they can gain insight into key factors in quality and performance early in the product development phase.

CATIA Composites Fiber Modeler

Composites designers benefit from proven and widely used technology from Simulayt, now fully integrated into CATIA V6.

From aerospace and automotive to consumer goods or energy, all industries may need to predict and optimize fiber reinforced materials’ behavior, minimizing their weight while increasing their performance. Real-world components incorporate awkward features like sharp corners, splits and rapid changes in curvature. These requirements routinely trap fiber simulation tools that have not been developed with real geometry in mind.

The Simulayt simulation technology is routinely used to analyse complex surfaces. For example, a typical Formula 1 monocoque contains over two thousand separate plies. These structures are designed in the space of two weeks, so product performance is critical.

Rapid generation of accurate data streamlines the entire composites development process of design, analysis and manufacture. Real-time simulation, instantaneous flat pattern capabilities and many manufacturability simulation technologies ensure producibility assessment quickly and accurately. A robust link to analysis and manufacture ensures to account for varying fiber orientation at all points due to manufacture. Simulating fiber deposition clarifies if a ply is producible or not and generates fiber orientations over the ply.

Proven Fiber Simulation through advanced propagation modes

Several fiber simulation algorithms are proposed and fiber propogation is ensured thanks to different solvers such as a Tape Propagation Solver or to a Finite Element Flattening Solver.

High accuracy and resolution

CFM analyses the surface topology in detail in order to provide accurate simulations without errors due to fiber bridging. This Predictive Surface Topology (PST) approach yields important advantages on complex surfaces in particular. These advantages increase as the curvature of the surface increases.

Precise control with flexible Seed Point or Seed Curve constraint.

Seed points can be defined at the ply boundary enabling draping to begin at the edge of the ply. The seed curve capability allows warp, weft or bias directions to be constrained along a curve, allowing plies to be applied over surfaces such as C-section spars and oval window frames.

Specification of the drape order through sequential areas

On the shop floor, plies are applied in stages to allow accurate placement. CFM allows the user to specify the order of draping over multiple regions to bring a new level of accuracy to fiber simulation.

Predict Excessive Shear and avoid it through flexible dart handling.

The sophisticated algorithms allow the specification of plies with darted boundaries, accepting even sharp ply boundaries for a smoothed solution.

Powerful Simulation Options

CFM includes optimized propagation types that yield excellent results for commonly-used woven fabrics used for composites structures. The flexible architecture of the Producibity application will allow ready extension of CFM for specialist applications like tow placement.

Extensible Material Model

CFM supports extensible material models, including disparate warp and weft lengths from the first release.Extended material models such as those needed for Non-Crimp Fabrics (NCFs) exist in the underlying technology and will be supported as required by users.

Predict Excessive Deviation

Preliminary analysis is based on theoretical projected fiber angles. Deviation shows difference between theoretical and actual directions. This difference can be reduced by cutting plies and realigning. CFM resolves detail where the ply boundary is jagged, as is often the case if many cuts need to be inserted to drape the ply. The resolution of edge detail is independent of the draping step length.